Finally the ranger rose.  “We’ve got to shake a leg,” he said.  “And you had better start back to camp.”

Charley got up mechanically.  His face showed all too clearly what was in his heart.  The ranger looked at him searchingly, and a kindly expression came into his eyes.

“Never mind, Charley,” he said.  “You won’t be alone long.  Lew, here, or some of your other friends will be slipping out to spend the week-end with you, and I shall see you regularly twice a week.  It may be, in view of Bill Collins’ visit, that Mr. Marlin will think I ought to come oftener.”

“Have you learned your alphabet yet?” replied Charley, a sudden gleam of interest crossing his face.  “Just as soon as you learn to use the wireless, we can talk at almost any time.  I’m sure that one of the fellows will lend you his outfit.”

“I’ll make Mr. Morton an outfit myself,” said Lew.  “I’ll make it exactly like yours.  Then you two can talk without tuning.”

“That will be bully,” said Charley, beginning to brighten up.  Then he turned to the ranger.  “Did you learn your alphabet?” he repeated.

“I’ve been working at it a little,” said the ranger.  “To tell the truth, I don’t care much about it.  I’d just as soon stick to the telephone.  But the wife is crazy over it.  She says if we knew how to do it and had the instruments, we could talk at any time.  She’s learned the alphabet already.”

“She has!  Bully for her!” cried Charley.  “Hurry up with that outfit, Lew, so we can teach her to send and read.  I’ll be glad to talk to her, even if her husband doesn’t want to.”

“I’ll be home by sunset,” said Lew, “and you can call me at eight o’clock.  I shall have had a chance to talk to the fellows by that time and I hope that I shall have something good to report to you.  I’m coming out the first Friday I can, to spend Saturday and Sunday with you.  Good-bye.”

Charley shook hands heartily with his two friends and turned back into the forest.  Although he was still somewhat cast down, the intense depression that had weighed upon him during the morning was lightened.  The events of the past twenty-four hours had made him forget temporarily the plan to teach Mr. Morton how to operate the wireless.  But the news that the ranger’s wife was also to become a radio operator pleased him more and more as he turned the matter over in his mind.

The pup, rubbing against his heels, recalled another matter to his mind.  He had to train the dog to be useful to him.

“No time like the present,” muttered Charley to himself.  And the training of the pup began then and there.  All the way home, through the wide valleys, over the mountain tops, and across the little streams, Charley worked with the pup, trying to teach him to be silent and to walk quietly at his heels.  And though many, many subsequent lessons were necessary before the pup was even half trained, the work with the dog made Charley forget his loneliness.  He arrived at his camp, which he found undisturbed, once more in his normal frame of mind.